EY to spend $2bn on improving audits after Wirecard scandal September 9, 2021 EY will invest around $2bn (£1.4bn) over three years to improve the quality of its audits after the high-profile collapse of payments company Wirecard, according to the Financial Times who first reported the news. The funding is part of a larger, and record, $10bn investment plan, announced by EY yesterday, to finance staff training and [...]
KPMG boss intervenes in dispute with FRC over poor auditing standards September 7, 2021 The global head of KPMG has written to the UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) over the its threats to publish further criticism of the auditor’s repeated failings, the Financial Times first reported. Bill Thomas, KPMG’s global chair and chief executive, entered the increasingly public dispute between the big four auditor and the FRC, after executives [...]
Dozens of UK’s biggest investment houses fall short of new ESG standard September 6, 2021 Some of the UK’s biggest names in investment have failed to meet a new ESG standard for investing for savers and pensioners, including Schroders, Morgan Stanley and Rothschild. In a new list published by The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) today, asset managers, pension schemes and insurers who successfully met a revised UK stewardship code were [...]
KPMG and ex-partner accused of misconduct in FRC’s investigation into Carillion audit September 1, 2021 KPMG, ex-partner Peter Meehan and current and former staff at the Big Four accountant are alleged to provided false and misleading information to a City watchdog investigating its audit of collapsed construction giant Carillion. The allegations are part of a Formal Complaint issued this morning by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in connection with the [...]
FRC to ‘strengthen’ audit governance code to tackle Big Four accounting scandals August 26, 2021 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has today announced proposals to update and “strengthen” its Audit Firm Governance Code and establish “operational separation” at the Big Four firms. The proposed changes are aimed at clarifying the role of partnership boards in holding management to account, said the UK accounting watchdog in a statement. A key proposal [...]
EY handed fine for botched Stagecoach audit August 25, 2021 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has landed EY and its Audit Engagement Partner, Mark Harvey with £2.3m in fines. The FRC said that an EY audit of StageCoach, an international travel company, “did not satisfy the audit reporting requirements” for the 2016-2017 financial year. Claudia Mortimore, the Deputy Executive Counsel to the FRC said: “the [...]
Female FTSE 100 directors earn 73 per cent less than male counterparts August 23, 2021 A recent investigation has found that female FTSE 100 directors on average earn 73 per cent less than their male counterparts. Research by New Street Consulting Group found that the average pay for female directors stands at £237,000, compared to £875,900 for male directors. The data reveals that the gender pay gap at the top [...]
Company law and authorised signatories are an issue August 11, 2021 Cygnetise applies blockchain technology to revolutionise the process of Authorised Signatory Management (ASM). The Cygnetise solution solves the pain of ASM by enabling operations and finance departments to digitally manage and share authorised signatories in real time, reducing risk, cutting costs, and making the process more efficient, transparent, and secure. The world has moved on [...]
FRC begins hunt for new chair after its governance dubbed a ‘grave risk’ August 6, 2021 The government has launched its recruitment drive for a new chair and non-executive directors for the Financial Reporting Council, after its governance was criticised. Although the watchdog has started the search for a permanent chair and six new non-executive directors, it will still be without a chair when Skeoch steps down in October. Just two [...]
KPMG may rebuild restructuring arm one year after selling it for over £350m July 29, 2021 KPMG is reportedly creating a new division to advise on corporate restructurings, less than a year after it sold its UK insolvency advisory business for over £350m. The big four auditor made the move as a result of new competition laws which made achieving profits from its non-auditing services harder, according to the report in [...]